Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Years ago, when we were teenagers, my cousin Phyllis got a part-time job at a very well known Italian bakery in New York City. I was already living in Florida at the time, where anything Italian pretty much didn't exist. We didn't even have a Domino's for crissake! I was so jealous picturing Phyllis covered in powdered sugar, surrounded by piles of cannoli, zeppole, sfogliatelle and numerous other delectable Italian pastries. What a dream job!

Phyllis was always very petite. I asked her once how she managed not to gain weight working in such a fairyland of sugar, butter and pastry cream. She told me that at first, it was hard not to sample everything in sight. But, that after a while, she got kind of sick of being around all of those pastries, cookies and cakes and lost her appetite for them. Impossible, I thought! Sacrilege! But, after a year and a half of baking for this blog, including a year of TWD, I kind of understand what she meant.

I've always considered myself to have a major sweet tooth, though I never really baked much before SGCC. It was, and is, very exhilarating and rewarding to try new things and share them with you here. I've created desserts that I never dreamed I would ever be able to pull off! And, I have! But, to be honest, I just don't get that same thrill looking at a freshly baked chocolate layer cake cooling on my kitchen counter that I once did. Ganache and Italian buttercream don't hold the same allure for me anymore. I find that after just a few small bites, I'm done.

How could this be? Am I jaded? Have I really lost my desire for sweets?

I don't think so. I just think that too much of a good thing is sometimes.....well.....too much!

So, has this unwelcome phenomenon ever happened to any of you? And, if so, how have you handled it? I'd really love to know.

That being said, I really must tell you that I had no problem at all scarfing down a big slice of Dorie's Chocolate Amaretti Torte! It kinda did thrill me. (Maybe there's hope for me yet!) She calls it "15 Minute Magic" because the whole recipe can be whipped up and ready to bake in under fifteen minutes. Although, you'd never guess after tasting it. It's another flourless recipe, using ground almonds and amaretti cookies for substance. It is rich, dense and fudgy - almost like a brownie - but with a bit of a nubby texture from the nuts. Coated with a glossy dark chocolate ganache and topped with an almond kissed whipped cream, it was an absolutely dreamy dessert!

Kudos to Holly from Phe.MOM.enon for choosing this week's fabulous TWD recipe. You can find the recipe for this torte on Holly's site. You can also see lots more Chocolate Amaretti Tortes over at the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll.

At first I was going to say that I never tire of the stuff, but then again, I don't get much chance to tire of it. I don't keep sweets in the house for fear I'll eat too much. If I want a treat, I go out and buy one of something.

Then I realized that both this recent Easter and past Thanksgiving I had tons of leftover sweets in the house for a week. Since most of them were homemade, I couldn't bring myself to trash them, so I ate a lot of them. After a while I did tire of them. Maybe it was because I always ate the same ones. If I were in a bakery with an endless variety, It would probably take much longer.

The variety thing is a big factor. I've been eating cookies, ice cream, and lemon cake for the past three days, and I'm sick of those, but I could still eat this tart!

Cookies are my downfall, and I was making them by the ton. I'm now taking a little break from them--also because I'm "dieting", but I think it will "help" me love cookies even more the next time I make a GREAT one.As for TWD, I think it's easy to burn out. I am just sharing, sharing, sharing! ;)This torte was definitely a good one! Yours look de-lish.

Wow, sometimes I wish I could tired of baked goods. Okay, maybe not, but I do wish I could learn some restraint! As I think I ate one thin slice of this torte, followed by another thin slice, and so on...

Beautiful cake (and photo)Re: getting tired of what you used to love. Yes, it has happened to me. I posted about See's Candy once a week for a year and it I ended up totally off what had been a major treat for me.Still don't crave it any more I guess that's good but haven't lost the 20 lbs I gained eating so much of it for a year!

Gorgeous. I love these little ameretti cookies- so i'm sure the torte is devine. It is sitting next to a cup of coffee if i eat it right now, or a little shot of something if later tonight... you've got me dreaming!

You have not lost the desire just hit the rut. Happens to the best of us when we do something. There was one year where the idea of sitting in front of a smoker waiting for a brisket to finish up made me want to run into the street.

I just found ways to make firing smoking fun again. If you are curious I took up meat curing which taught me something new instead of the monotony of brisket/pulled pork/ribs and still had me babysitting a smoker.

Ha, that was kinda funny. I thought for sure you were going to say that the torte was just okay after read how you've become dessert jaded. :)

While you may be tired of eating dessert I'm certainly not tired of admiring your dessert photos! Bring 'em on and while you're at it ship me the dessert I'm not far off of I-4 or the toll road 417!~ingrid

this cake is a must try for me . It looks delicious! I too sometimes get fed up of desserts and chocolate while baking however it doesn t last long since after a while a nicely decorated cake it really tempts me :)

Ooh, I love amaretti cookies! That cake sounds fantastic. I'm planning to start a pastry career very soon and I'm sure once I get into the work I won't be too tempted - one can only handle so much sugar in a day. My first job was scooping ice cream and I couldn't stand the smell of frozen cream and hot fudge for quite a while - it was in my pores!

When I first started this blog, I posted everyday so I baked or cooked everyday, but sometimes I had to put myself under such immense pressure that I kinda lost the passion and soon it became very evident in my meals...and hubby and the children soon started to complain. So these days, I cook or bake when inspired and all is well again in the Timm household!!!! The torte looks delicious and a 15 minute recipe for Dorie, must be a record!!

Oh my.. that sounds and looks absolutely fabulous! You may just be experiencing a sort of burn-out from baking..just take a li'l break and i'm sure you'll be back. I haven't reached that point yet, but then again, I'm not baking every week! (I'm trying not to, because we can't afford to buy new clothes in these times, lol!)

Your tort looks lucious! When I was going to culinary school in the evenings the last thing I wanted to do was cook and bake at home. Now that I am taking a break I find myself more open to baking and cooking. I find if I mix it up, cook savory things to break up the sweets, and if I formulate my own recipes it helps a lot with the sugar burn-out.

It's definitely happened to me... And sometimes I think I'm going to take a baking hiatus, but then a new day comes and I have an itch to bake. I might not even want to eat anything sweet, but I have a need to bake. Even when I try to stop, I can't.

Ooooh, that looks glorious. I can see how it can become the antidote to your dessert-ennui.I think when that happens to me, it's just flavor-fatigue. Too much dairy. Sugar. Fat. Chocolate. Sometimes it's good to mix it up with fresh/"raw" desserts, those that use fruits only for sweetness, nonfat ones, or very sharp citrus flavors. If worse comes to worst, then you can take a short break, we'll still have your awesome *savory* recipes :)

Oooh my your torte looks deliciously rich! Yumm :)The jading problem sounds awful! Although I must admit I already have the same problem around cakes...cookies still hold the same allure they always have though! The only cure would be to take a break but I would miss your posts !

If you are suffering from baking fatigue, you are certainly not alone! When it's your job, it can feel like "just a job." I'm actually glad that I'm no longer working in a professional kitchen; baking is fun again for me!

that torte is super-beautiful! you know, i work in a NYC bakery, and i don't have the slightest desire to eat anything there anymore...i see and make the same stuff day in and day out, and it doesn't interest me like it did when i started. home baking, though, is a different story for me. i love to eat what i make at home, mainly because they are things i really want to make.

Wow! This torte must have been super delicious if it could overcome your newly-acquired "eh" to treats. I hope this never happens to me--you're right: it would be totally unwelcome, but I completely understand. Here's hoping that your sweet tooth comes back soon!

Sweets have always been my first choice - sweets vs. savory. Always, judge a restaurant for its desserts. Silly me. Now, with this baking blogging, like you, it takes a really big Wow to WOW me. I took a little blog vaca so I'm looking forward to rewinding the torte. I'll let ya know. hehe Yours looks luscious and moist not brownie like at all. Perfectly wonderful. Glad you had a good holiday and I enjoy your blog.AmyRuth

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About Me

I'm a professional musician, aspiring chef, wife, mother, daughter and sister, who used to be a lawyer in a previous life. My love of food comes from a long line of wonderful and creative Italian home cooks who didn't always have a lot, but knew how to make a lot out of what they had.
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